TIPS Below are some tips for developing your Statement of Grant Purpose and documenting your affiliation, where needed. Although not all-inclusive, these tips are intended to help you as you begin the application process. The earlier you begin, the more time you will have to refine your essays and present yourself well. We also encourage you to read the Applicant Newsletters for articles by current and former grantees describing their Fulbright experience. Research/Study Grants: Developing the Statement of Grant Purpose Research/Study Grants: Tips for the Affiliation ETA Grants: Developing the Statement of Grant Purpose for English Teaching Assistantships
DEVELOPING THE STATEMENT OF GRANT PURPOSE
Developing a strong, feasible and compelling project proposal is the most important aspect of a successful Fulbright application. Your first step should be to familiarize yourself with the program summary for the country to which you wish to apply. The program design varies somewhat from country to country (i.e., some countries encourage applicants to incorporate coursework into a project, while others prefer independent research.) Click here to view the participating country summaries. Please ensure that your project design fits the program guidelines for your host country.
It is important that you have adequate formal training for the study that you wish to pursue and that your language skills be commensurate with the requirements of the project.
- Graduating seniors generally will be expected to attend regular university lectures, but they should describe the study programs they wish to follow in terms as specific as possible. They should not expect close academic supervision, and should be prepared to supplement lectures with independent work.
- Graduate students, as well as advanced-degree candidates proposing research for theses and dissertations, will be expected to work independently without close supervision.
- Ph.D. candidates should indicate when they expect to complete preliminary or comprehensive examinations, and whether their project statements have been accepted or approved as dissertation proposals.
- Candidates in the creative and performing arts should submit projects indicating their reasons for selecting a particular country, the form their work will take and the results they hope to obtain.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN:
The best proposals begin with good ideas. Start by putting your ideas on paper, and list the goals and objectives of your project. Share your ideas with your Fulbright Program Adviser, your academic adviser and professional colleagues in your field. As you work on your proposal, consider the following questions and remember your audience. Avoid discipline-specific jargon. The individuals reading your proposal prefer you get to the point about the "who, what, when, where, why and how" of the project. In a direct and persuasive manner, address the following: - With whom do you propose to work?
- What do you propose to do? What is exciting, new or unique about your project? What contribution will the project make to the Fulbright objective of promoting cross-cultural interaction and mutual understanding?
- When will you carry out your study or research? Include a timeline.
- Where do you propose to conduct your study or research? Why is it important to go abroad to carry out your project?
- Why do you want to do it? What is important or significant about the project?
- How will you carry out your work? All students should discuss methodology and goals in their statements.
- How will your project help further your academic or professional development?
- Your project statement should contain a clear commitment to and description of how you will engage with the host country community.
ADVANCED DEGREES:Candidates considering earning a Master's degree must make sure that the country to which they are applying will accept such a project. Some countries do not recommend that applicants apply to do a degree program for a number of reasons. One may be because it is not possible to complete a Master's degree in one academic year. Another can be because the tuition fees that a Master's degree candidate would be charged would not be covered by the Fulbright grant. Applicants should review the country summaries to determine if there are any restrictions to applying to complete a degree program. If you apply for a degree program to a country that does not offer tuition as part of the Fulbright funding package, then these costs must be covered from an alternative source.
If your plan is to complete a Master's or other structured degree program, make sure that you apply for admission to the host university by their deadline. Do not wait for the Fulbright decision to come through or you may be too late to gain admission to your preferred university.
If you are applying for admission into a study/Master's program, you do not need to submit the letter of admission with the application. You can submit the acceptance letter whenever you receive it, but a Fulbright award offer would be contingent upon your receiving placement at a university. If you are not planning to matriculate at a university but intend to audit/enroll in courses at a local university, then a support/ affiliation letter should be included with your application. This letter will indicate that you have identified an appropriate institution to support your study/research goals. Any documentation of support that you can obtain from a potential host will help to make your application more competitive. The letter will also demonstrate that your project proposal is feasible in terms of in-country support. IS THE PROJECT FEASIBLE?
You must also demonstrate that the project research strategy is feasible, including its time frame. Provide answers to the following: - How will the culture and politics of the host country impact your work?
- How do the resources of the host country support your project?
- If employing such research methods as extensive interviewing and the use of questionnaires, how will you locate your subjects?
- Is your language facility adequate? If not, how will you accomplish your work?
If there could be any question regarding the feasibility of your project or your background or ability to conduct the project, address the issue directly in your statement. Enrolled students are urged to consult professors in their major fields and their FPAs about the feasibility of their proposed projects. At-Large applicants should consult qualified persons in their fields.
MULTI-COUNTRY PROJECTS
A multi-country project is one project which must be carried out in more than one country. All countries must be within the same geographic world area. Applicants submitting multi-country proposals must have a very good justification for putting forward such a project. Keep in mind that you are doubling or tripling the work involved with securing host institution affiliation, as well as obtaining visas and finding housing, etc. Also, multi-country proposals that are recommended by screening committees must be approved by each of the relevant host countries before they can be granted. If one country rejects your application then your project may no longer be feasible. Generally, you will be given the option to revise the proposal for the remaining countries if they approve of your original project.
A BIBLIOGRAPHY?
Since the Statement of Proposed Study or Research cannot exceed two pages, a formal bibliography is not necessary. However, if background data is provided, it is appropriate to briefly cite sources within the two-page limit.
A FINAL WORD
Organize your Statement carefully. Don't make reviewers search for information. We urge you to have several people read and critique your Statement, including a faculty adviser, a faculty member outside your discipline, a fellow student, and/or a colleague.
THE AFFILIATION
Generally speaking, the affiliation or host country sponsor is an institution, organization, and/or individual that will provide the grantee in-country support or supervision during the grant period. The type of affiliation and nature of the relationship between the grantee and the affiliation varies significantly depending on the country, the grantee’s degree level, the proposed project (e.g., whether it is primarily study or research), and a number of other factors.
WHO NEEDS AN AFFILIATION?
Unless it is explicitly stated otherwise in the Country Summary (e.g., some countries will arrange for grantee placements/affiliations), grantees must have a host country affiliation.
Some countries will obtain affiliation for Fulbrighters, while others leave the responsibility for securing host affiliation entirely up to the grantee. Others will work somewhere in between, expecting the grantee to identify a host affiliation and make initial contact, but will then help to formalize the affiliation after the grant is awarded. Make sure you know what is expected of you as an applicant by reviewing the Country Summary thoroughly.
Countries differ in the kinds of host affiliations that are acceptable. Types of affiliations may include universities, laboratories, libraries, non-governmental organizations, and others. In some cases, particularly in the arts, the affiliation may be a person such as a writer, musician, or artist or an arts organization or foundation. Pay special attention to the requirement in some countries to attend/affiliate with an academic institution.
IDENTIFYING A POTENTIAL AFFILIATION
IIE cannot provide a list of institutions that acted as hosts to previous Fulbrighters. Past Fulbrighters have used a number of methods to contact hosts and solicit support for their projects. The main way is to use the contacts and advisers that you already have. Ask if one of your current professors can help to put you into contact with an appropriate person, university, or organization overseas. If your proposal contains a strong research component, you must have host country contacts that can support your research, provide you access to your resources, and/or supervise or advise you during the grant period. It is the applicant’s responsibility to identify, contact, and secure a letter of support from potential affiliations, whether they are individuals, organizations, academic departments, etc. Some potential avenues to help you identify an affiliation include: - International students or faculty on your campus
- Visiting Fulbright Professors in the U.S. or U.S. Fulbright Scholars who had grants to your host country. Directories are available at (http://www.cies.org/vs_scholars/vs_dir.htm);
- Internet searches of faculty at potential host institutions with your interests, or organizations in the host country that work with issues related to your topic.
Do not hesitate to contact professors from other universities both in the U.S. and in your prospective country, especially if your proposal fits to the professor’s expertise. They may also be able to refer you to others with expertise or interest in your topic.
Committed research and perseverance will go a long way in establishing a host affiliation. Once you find a possible host, make contact by sending an introductory letter or email. Keep in mind that many schools are closed during the summer months, so you should begin early. Remember, however, that IIE does not accept any support materials or letters via email or fax, and that sufficient lead time must be allowed to receive hard copy responses, with original signatures.
Please note that only rarely will grantees be permitted to enroll in the graduate programs of U.S. universities abroad or to have as their primary affiliation a U.S.-based institution or organization located in the host country. The objectives of the Fulbright Program are best served by attendance at or affiliation with a host country institution or organization. LETTERS OF AFFILIATION
The most competitive candidates will include documentation of contacts with potential host affiliations with the application. This could be of a letter of invitation from the host institution/organization/individual indicating research support or allowing access to facilities to the applicant; or, it could be a letter indicating that the admitting institution provides courses in the applicant's areas of study. IIE refers to these letters synonymously as: letters of support, letters of affiliation, letters of invitation and/or letters of admission.
There are no specific requirements for the letter of support from the host institution. Every affiliation relationship will be different depending upon the candidate’s project. In general, letters of affiliation on institutional letterhead sent with the application are preferred. The letters should state how the supervisor/host institution will help the applicant to facilitate the project (i.e., what resources will be offered, what kind of supervision will be given, etc.). Some applicants propose to do independent research, so these letters of support are more crucial to establishing the feasibility of a project. Other applicants propose study projects, so letters of support are really a complement to the overall application, but attest to its feasibility. Therefore, you should try to get a letter of support that is as detailed as possible. Ultimately, it is up to your host affiliation as to the level/kind of support that they are willing to offer you.
In the U.S., we have become accustomed to rapid response, especially in electronic communication. Many cultures do not have this expectation, and many people do not enjoy the reliable connectivity or easy access to the Internet that we do. Therefore, be advised that you may not receive a response to your inquiries as quickly as you might hope. Applicants are advised to begin their search for an affiliation as early as possible.
Letters of affiliation can be submitted to IIE via regular mail after the deadline. Although we will make every effort to do so, we cannot guarantee that letters submitted separate from the full application will be successfully married with the application in time for committee review. Also, IIE cannot confirm receipt of any documents. Please do not call or email us to ask if your letter of affiliation was received. We recommend that you send your materials using a method that will provide return receipt.
Please note that IIE will not accept letters of affiliation, recommendations, or foreign language reports sent via email or fax . ENGLISH TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS: Developing the Statement of Grant Purpose
Now that you have chosen the ETA country to which you will apply, you need to consider what to say in your Statement of Grant Purpose. Be sure that you have read carefully the Participating Country Summary to understand the nature of the program and specific requirements. In addition, you should have done research on the host country, its culture and society, people, history, and its relationship with the U.S.
You should make certain that your Statement very clearly explains why you have chosen a particular program and country, your experience, training and skills, and what you expect to contribute to and take away from an ETA experience.
Since you are applying for an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grant, you are not expected to present extensive research plans. Rather, you should describe: - Why you would like to undertake a Teaching Assistant assignment; why you have chosen the particular country.
- Specific qualifications, training, and/or experiences that you have had related to the overseas assignment.
- How you expect to benefit from the assignment, and what use you will make of the experience upon your return to the United States.
- What use you will make of your time outside the classroom. (Most ETAs work no more than 20 to 30 hours per week.)
Most ETA programs expect that grantees will engage in an independent academic, vocational, or community service project. You should briefly describe what you would like to do in the Statement of Grant Purpose. Since applicants will not know exactly where they will be located, this statement is not expected to be detailed. You simply need to indicate the activities that you intend to pursue outside of the ETA responsibilities and why you have chosen this/these activities for the country to which you are applying.
If you have a very specific proposal for study or research, you may wish to consider the full grant option, since in the ETA program you will not be able to choose where you will be placed and you will not have very much time for research. Furthermore, successful ETA's are those who value the experience of working in an educational environment first and foremost.
AFFILIATION
Affiliation for ETA recipients is the responsibility of the Fulbright Commission in the host country. Do not indicate an affiliation or preferences for affiliations.
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